CSi:NY The Innocent Soldier
by A Rhea King
Summary: Adam doesn't say much about his past, but it catches up when his father kidnaps him from a crime scene. As he risks his life to help the CSI find him, the team began to uncover Adam's horrific past and reveal surprising secrets. *Re-wrote Chapter 5
1. Chapter 1

**CSI: New York**  
**The Innocent Soldier  
By A. Rhea King**

_Chapter 1_

It was still dark of the early morning when Adam parked his car behind Mac's Avalanche near a small clearing in Central Park, snatched up his kit from the passenger seat, and hurried out. He jogged to the back of a line of park workers that blocked him from the crime scene, and started elbowing his way through. Their foreman had called in the body, and at the moment they were more interested in the dead body than fixing the sidewalk on the other side of the hill.

He came through and saw Mac and Hawkes standing together while three officers set up work lights around the crime scene. Mac looked back at him with a dark, cross look. Adam realized he looked like he had just climbed out of bed – which he had – but he didn't notice his shirt was buttoned wrong and inside out. He avoided Mac's dark glare as he walked in front of him to stand on the other side of Hawkes.

"You asked for to have your shift start at five thirty this month, Adam. I started calling you at five thirty and you tell me you're just waking up when you do answer, take forty-five minutes to get here, and you show up looking like you just climbed out of bed?"

Mac's lips thinned when Adam looked at him.

"I… I'm sorry, Boss."

Hawkes slowly moved out of the line of fire and pretended to be adjusting a work light.

"Morning boss," Adam said as he stopped next to him. He avoided eye contact with him.

"Fix your shirt, use the comb in the door pocket of my Avalanche, and then come back to the scene ready to work." As Adam passed back in front of him, Mac added sternly, "_Quickly_."

Adam jogged off to obey. When he returned, the two CSI had moved to stand at the edge of a bloody spot on the dry brown spring grass.

"The police found a baseball bat over there," Mac told Hawkes.

"You think the killer left it?" Hawkes asked.

"Okay, boys, back to work," the park worker's foreman said. "You're not being paid to rubber neck."

The officers, CSI, and Adam glanced back. The foreman was herding his workers back to their job on the other side of the hill.

"Hard to say. Adam, start on the perimeter while we work on the body. Work the tree line down to that wall and back up."

Adam sat his kit down, took out a stack of markers and his camera, and started walking. He paused to place markers over evidence or snap a photograph. His heart leapt into his throat when a jackhammer started thumping and turned. Mac and Hawkes were still talking despite the noise. Adam turned around and kept working.

He reached the wall and started along it, looking for more evidence. The wall stopped at the edge of a thickly wooded spot of the park. He spotted something lying in the brown grass, almost hidden by the tiny green shoots coming up through it. He walked over and stared at it. It was a ring and from the size and shape he judged it was a man's class ring.

Behind him the jackhammer stopped and the birds singing to announce the morning filled the silence.

Adam pulled his flashlight off his vest, the Velcro holding it making a soft ripping sound. He turned it on and shined it on the ring.

"You got something?" Mac asked.

"I don't know. Maybe," Adam called back.

He glanced back when Mac didn't say anything else. He and Hawkes were talking over the body again. He'd come to understand that when Mac micro-managed his work in the field, it meant he was angry with Adam. Since he was leaving Adam to work, it was a good sign Mac was no longer angry with him.

Adam crouched down and examined the ring visually. He didn't see any blood but that didn't mean much. The ring had an emerald in it – his birthstone. He laid a measurement ruler next to it and focused his camera on the ring.

The jackhammer was turned back on. It seemed like there was always work being done in Central Park, but did they have to do it at five in the morning?

A hand with a cloth snaked between Adam's arm and face and came back fast to firmly press the cloth against his mouth and nose. Another arm whipped around his abdomen, slamming back so hard it almost took Adam's breath away.

The person caught him so off guard that by the time Adam realized he was caught he was already at a disadvantage. It didn't stop him from struggling and trying to get the attention of Mac, Hawkes, or the two officers. But it was too dark by the wall for them to see the struggle and the jackhammer blotted out his muffled cries for help.

A voice said into his ear. "Everything is going to be okay. I'm here now."

He knew the voice and his surprise became fear driven panic, turning his fight violent. He kicked, clawed, and punched at the person holding him. He tried to twist around, to fight them face to face, but the person was stronger than he was. The person had always been stronger than Adam. As he began having a harder time keeping his eyes open, Adam realized there was something on the cloth and he going to lose the battle. If he was ever going to escape what was coming, he had to find a way to tell Mac and Hawkes know who kidnapped him.

With one hand he grabbed his camera and held down the shutter button. It started snapping photograph after photograph. With his other hand he reached back in the air in search of contact with skin or hair. His hand found the person's head. He grabbed as much hair as he could and yanked. His arm fell away, now too heavy for him to even move. His finger relaxed on the shutter button. Slowly he grew still, and his fingers uncurled to let the tuft of hair drift into the grass.

A struggle that had felt like minutes to Adam had only taken seconds. The person roughly pulled the camera from Adam's neck and threw it away. They dug through his pockets and tossed his cell phone. The person pulled his police radio off his belt and threw it against a tree. The jackhammer silenced it shattering.

The person picked Adam up, slung him over his shoulder, and disappeared into the thick wooded area.

#

Mac and Hawkes crouched on the same side of the body. The jackhammer made it hard to hear each other talk.

"Look at this," Hawkes said, lifting up the man's hand. "It doesn't look like he put up a fight. Who takes a beating with a baseball bat and doesn't fight?" Hawkes looked up at Mac's face.

Mac looked up the hill.

The officers were gathered around a patrol car eating heart-burn burritos and coffee. The sun had finally broken the horizon and was lighting up the area. Mac looked down as one of the officers turned, looking down at the two.

He swallowed the bite in his mouth and stood up, setting the burrito on the car. He looked around the clearing and then said something to the other two. They looked up. They put their breakfast down, starting to look as worried as the first officer. He said something to them and started down the hill toward the CSI.

Mac shook his head, and started to yell back, "No wah—" The jackhammer stopped. He said at a normal tone, "No one."

At the same time an officer nearby started to yell, "Detective Taylor, where—" The CSI looked up at him and his neck flushed. He stopped walking and started again, "Where did you send Adam?"

Mac hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Over there."

"Over where?"

"Over there to search—" Mac stood and turned as he continued. "The…" Adam was nowhere in sight. "Tree line."

His lab tech was nowhere in sight.

"Adam," Mac called. He waited, expecting to hear Adam call back from the trees. But no reply came. Mac yelled, "Adam!"

There was no response.

Hawkes echoed, "Adam!"

There was no answer.

The jackhammer started again.

"Go tell them to stop," Mac commanded the officer.

He left at a run to obey.

"Stay with the body Hawkes," Mac yelled over the jackhammer.

Mac started down the hill toward the wall, the last place he'd seen Adam. The jackhammer stopped.

"Adam!" Mac started calling over and over, even as he continued toward the last spot he'd seen him.

Behind him Hawkes and the officers began calling for Adam. Soon even the park workers were calling for him.

Mac stopped yelling in the middle of Adam's name when he stepped on plastic. He looked down, seeing Adam's shattered police radio. And then his camera and cell phone. He turned.

"Call for backup! Adam's been taken!"

Mac turned back to the new crime scene, visually going over it. The camera's strap wasn't bloody, so it hadn't been used to kill Adam. It wasn't cut either, meaning the kidnapper had time to remove it while they were only a few yards away. The discarded cell phone meant his kidnapper may have known his phone had GPS locator turned on. The shattered radio might mean the kidnapper knew it too had a GPS locator and if it wasn't upright for more than ten minutes, an emergency signal automatically went out.

Hawkes joined Mac. "Police were a few blocks. They're searching the park."

"I told you to stay with the body."

"I put one of the officers on it."

"You mean one of the officers that didn't notice Adam being kidnapped?" Mac said, glaring at him.

Hawkes started to answer.

"I'm sorry," Mac quickly said. "That's fine. We need to process this crime scene first."

Hawkes nodded. "Adam's markers aren't scattered. He had time to set them down."

"His ruler is over there next to a ring, it looks like," Mac pointed at it. Something out of the corner of Mac's eye caught his attention. He walked over and crouched down.

"I have hair."

Sheldon joined him. He pulled on gloves and took a small evidence envelope from a pocket. He picked up the tuft of hair and held it just left of the rising sun. "Most have tags. This was ripped out. It's the same color as Adam's hair."

Mac looked over the crime scene. "It's his kidnapper's."

"How do you know?"

Because he was trying to get our attention and we ignored him." Mac frowned, looking down at the discarded camera. Mac put on a glove and picked it up. "And maybe he even tried showing us who it was." Mac pulled out the memory card, looking at it.

#

Adam woke slowly. He felt something around his wrists, holding them up, and was fairly certain he was lying on a bed. He swallowed. His mouth had a bitter taste. He moved his shoulder but his wrists didn't move far. A chain jangled with the movement.

"Adam," someone said.

He hadn't heard the voice for so long that his foggy mind couldn't put a name to it.

The bed moved and someone laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you awake, son?"

Son? That meant…

Adam immediately came out of his fog and looked up at the man sitting next to him. His entire body went cold, almost to the point he was numb. He broke out in a light sweat and he could hear his heart beating in his ears.

His father, Charles Ross, smiled at him, but to Adam knew not to trust it.

"Dad," Adam said. "What are… You're supposed to be in jail."

"You haven't seen me in ten years and that's all you have to say?"

Adam hesitated. "Yeah."

"I was so good they let me out," Charles explained. "Why didn't you ever come see me, Adam?"

Adam's pent up anger made him try to bolt. But his flight was stopped by something snagging his wrists and pulling him back. He looked up at the handcuffs holding his wrists to the headboard. His eyes went to the padding on the wall, then around the room. The entire room was padded to muffle his screams. There were no windows and a small bathroom with a green door. Another door opened into the hall and had two deadbolts on it. His father had thought this kidnapping through.

"Why am I handcuffed, dad?" Adam looked back at his father.

"That's for your own protection. I remember the last time you woke up, after I'd come for you, and I had to keep disciplining you until you were almost dead. Remember that?"

Adam didn't want to remember _that_. Why had they let this evil man out?

Charles patted Adam's cheek. "This beard makes you look like a little kid."

Adam wanted to cry and scream at the same time, but he kept silent.

"I'll take care of it," Charles told him. "Tomorrow we'll shave it off. And you'll get to meet your mother."

"Mom's dead, dad. She died two years ago from cancer."

"I'm talking about Lillian."

"Who the hell is Lillian?"

"Your new mother. Every boy needs a mother and father, so I started looking for one while I was in jail. I found her on the Internet, and I know you'll like her. She can't cook, but she's got other benefits no man could complain about." Charles laughed at the unspoken triple X rated joke. When Adam didn't join him he stopped and said, "Guess you're not into women. Are you into men?"

"No."

"It was a good joke."

"I don't know this woman. Did you marry her?"

"Of course! She's family now. The girl knows her guns! Maybe, later, when you prove I can trust you again, we'll go shooting."

"I don't like guns."

"Every man likes guns."

Adam started to argue, but there really wasn't any point. "Dad… I didn't come to see you in jail because… I didn't want to. I don't want to meet Lillian. I just want to go home. Let me go, we'll pretend this kidnapping never happened, and you and Lillian can go live a happy life."

"You are my son. You're living with me. And I didn't kidnap you. You can't kidnap your own child."

"Yes, dad, you can, and you did. You—"

Charles punched Adam in the face making him bite his lip. Pain seared behind his eye and into his jaw.

"IF YOU CRY I'LL GIVE YOU DAMNED GOOD REASON TO KEEP CRYING!"

Adam knew his father meant it. If he showed any signs of pain or fear, the man had always been quick to beat Adam. He doubted prison had made his father less vicious.

"Please let me leave, dad," Adam whispered, looking up at him. "Please."

"You are my son, Adam. I am keeping my family together, come hell or high water, boy. Got that?"

Adam didn't respond.

His father laid his hand on Adam's head, running his hand down to his swelling cheek. "I love you, Adam. I really do. Get some sleep, son. It's late. Tomorrow we'll get this damned beard shaved off and make you look like a man."

Adam had to bite his tongue, literally, to stop from telling his dad no. That would only get him punched again.

Charles walked around the bed, toward a door. "Good night, Adam."

Adam heard the door shut.

He prayed Mac would find him and soon, because if he had to kill his father to escape him this time, he felt like he could do just that.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Mac and Stella were on a conference call with Chief Sinclair when Lindsay and Danny came in. She was holding a tablet computer, Danny was carrying a fistful of 8x10 photographs, and both looked like they were bearers of bad news.

"Chief, we need to go. I think there's been a development with Adam Ross."

"What kind of development?" Sinclair demanded.

"I'll let you know." Mac hung up.

Lindsey shook her head. "The DNA came back on the hair, Mac. It's from a Charles Ross; it's a match to Adam. His father kidnapped him." Lindsey shook her head. "But I've always been under the impression Adam's father was dead. Anytime he's talked about him, it was always in the past tense."

"He's not dead, unfortunately," Stella told them. "He's been in jail for the last ten years."

The three looked at her.

"Stella is right," Lindsey turned her attention back to Mac. "He was supposed to be in on a forty year sentence, but he got a good lawyer and was paroled after ten years. He's been out for six months. Do you think Adam knew?"

"No," Stella answered. "He didn't know."

"How can you be sure he didn't know?" Mac asked her.

Stella avoided the question. "What was Charles in for?"

"In Florida he was arrested for kidnapping, two counts of assault, and one count of attempted murder. But he has assaults that go way back." Lindsey walked up to Mac's desk, handing him her tablet. "And a long string of child abuse charges – none that ever went to trial – that go back to 1988, when Adam was five."

Mac looked over the charges in silence. He handed the tablet back to Lindsey. "That's where Adam went to college, and he would have been out a couple years when it happened."

Hawkes joined the group, and he didn't look like he had any better news.

"I went over the photographs on the card in Adam's camera." Danny handed Mac the images. "That's the best I could get."

There wasn't a clear picture of Adam's attacker, but in two, there was a clear shot of Adam's terrified face. Mac glanced at Stella when she turned away and stared outside.

"Is the autopsy on the victim at the scene done?" Mac asked Sheldon.

"He'd already had an autopsy done, and he was embalmed."

"What?" Lindsey asked. "The dead victim had already been killed?"

"His name was Roger Keefe. He had died of natural causes and the corpse was stolen from a morgue four nights ago. I also got the results on the blood from the scene. It's not even real. It's corn syrup, some red dye, and chocolate syrup."

"So this entire scene was a setup?" Danny asked them. "Was his dad after Adam or one of us?"

"He couldn't have known Adam would be there," Mac said.

"Actually, that's not entirely true, Mac," Lindsey said. "You've been having him help process scenes for the last five weeks. Especially the morning scenes when we were racing the weather. It was predicted to snow or rain around ten this morning."

"That's why you told me you were calling him," Hawkes reminded him.

Mac didn't like the idea he hadn't noticed the pattern. Normally he wouldn't have cared, but hindsight made him feel guilty.

"Hawkes, why don't you see if you can track down any of Adam's relatives or friends and see if we can find out why his father would want to kidnap him?"

"Adam doesn't have any," Stella told them.

The three looked at her. She was still staring outside.

"He doesn't have any what?" Hawkes asked. "Friends or relatives?"

Quietly she answered, "Both. We're the closest friends he has."

"He doesn't have any friends outside of work?" Mac asked.

"Just people he plays online with. They wouldn't know anything."

"Danny, look into it anyway," Mac said. "Lindsey, call Florida State Patrol and see if they can get us more information on the case. Hawkes, see what you can find out about the ring Adam found."

The CSI left with their assignments.

Mac turned his eyes to Stella. She was still staring outside. "I'm going to go look around his apartment and see there's anything that can help us." Mac stood, grabbing his coat from the back of his chair.

"I'll do that," Stella told him, heading for the door.

"I can do it."

Stella smiled. "You don't even know where he lives, Mac."

"I've been to his apartment a couple times."

"He's moved since you've been to his place."

"So give me the address."

"No. I'll do it."

"Don't you need a warrant?"

"No. I've got it."

"Stella."

She stopped with her hand on the door handle.

"How long, Stella?"

She didn't look back. "How long for what?"

"How long have you had a relationship with Adam?"

She sighed and quietly answered, "A little over a year."

Mac didn't speak. She started to open the door.

Mac told her, "You know this relationship is against policy."

"That's what you're concerned about?"

"No. I could care less. I just don't want you hiding information to protect your relationship; information that could help us find him."

She turned, staring at him. "Mac…"

He waited. It took her a couple minutes but she finally said, "Mac, I love Adam. If I knew something that would find him right now, this very minute, I don't care who found out we were dating, I'd tell it. Please don't think I'd be that foolish."

Mac nodded. "I wanted to make sure we understood each other. Come to me with anything you find. If I can protect you and Adam, I will."

She smiled. "Okay. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to send Charles Ross a message. I want my lab tech back."

She almost started crying. "Thank you, Mac." She walked out.

Mac sat down and started making calls and using favors.

#

Adam sat stiffly in the arm chair he'd been ordered to sit in. His father sat on the couch watching a re-run of a comedy. If it were physically possible, Adam would have been snorting fire. His father had shaved off his beard and cut his hair shorter than he'd worn it since he was eight.

Then he let Adam leave his room with him. The house they were in was tiny. There was a bedroom and bathroom off the hall. It opened into a kitchen/living room. Only one door entered the house in the living room. Heavy drapes covered all the windows but they didn't block out all the light. A small patch of sunlight came through, hitting the back of the couch.

Adam watched the sunlight move with great interest. It told him that the house was angled southeast. Every clue he could find to his location was one more clue he could give when he finally got the chance to call for help.

"I forgot how quiet you were when we watched television, kiddo," Charles told him.

Adam looked away from the patch of sun to his father. Charles didn't take his eyes off the television screen.

"What kind of T.V. do you like these days?"

Adam looked back at the sun.

"Adam. I asked you a question."

"Nothing," Adam lied.

"You don't watch television? Huh. When you were a kid, we had to tear you away from it."

"Did you?" Adam asked, not that he really cared.

"Yeah. You liked all those really dumb kid shows. Or you did before you mother kidnapped you."

Adam sucked in his lip and bit down on it to keep from lashing out. Last night's punch had left him with a painful black eye and green bruise across his cheek, and reminded him he had to censor everything that came out of his mouth or suffer.

"Who's Stella?" Charles asked.

Adam looked up. Charles glanced at him.

"Hm? Who is she?"

"A girl at from work. Why are you asking about her?"

"You were talking to her in your sleep last night. Sounds like you more than just know her. You told her you loved her."

Adam didn't say anything.

"Maybe we should get her to come with us too. I realized I made a mistake separating you from that bimbo before. What'd'ya say? Should we get Stella too?"

"We just have sex. Haven't you ever told a woman you loved her to get laid?" It killed Adam to say that, but the lie was all he had to protect Stella from his father.

Charles laughed. "Many times. Good boy. You make me proud."

In his mind Adam growled angry obscenities at his father.

Someone knocked on the door. Adam's heart leapt into his throat when his father leapt up. He watched Charles pass him and go to the door, opening it.

"Baby!" a woman cried out.

Adam heard the wet smack of kissing. Charles came back inside with his arm hooked around a short brunette. She was robust with straight brown hair and her smile revealed crooked teeth. It disappeared when she saw Adam.

"So this is your fucking kid?"

"Adam, this is Lillian. Your mother."

"Uh, no, _step_-mother. I am no one's mom."

"Not even mine?" Charles pulled her close.

She laughed, kissing him again. She pushed her long fingernails and fingers with rings on every one into his hair. The two pulled apart.

"So what's the plan, Dan?" She laughed at her joke.

"Tomorrow, I'll get the blueprints and another car, so you'll need to stay here."

"Why not just take your kid with you?"

"He's a little too old to strap into a car seat." Charles winked at Adam, as if he was supposed to enjoy the jokes at his expense.

She glanced down at Adam. "I suppose I have to stay with him."

"Yes."

She rolled her eyes, pulling away from Charles. "Fine." She walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. "Geeze, Dan. There's no food in here."

"I know. I didn't have any time to get much. There's a store about a mile down the street. Why don't you go pick us up something?"

She walked over to him, holding out her hand. He took out his wallet and put a couple twenties in her hand.

"Pick up some stuff for omelets. Adam makes great omelets."

"You want me to eat something he cooks? He'll probably spike our food with Draino." She looked down at Adam. "If looks could kill, we'd both be dead right now."

Charles looked down at Adam. "Are you glaring at your step-mom?"

"No," Adam said.

"Adam?"

He looked away from them. But that wasn't enough for Charles. He grabbed Adam's arm and yanked him to his feet.

"Apologize to Lillian."

"I'm sorry," Adam said without any hint he meant it.

"Say it like you mean it."

"I'm sorry, Lillian."

Charles looked at her. "Go on. I'll straighten him out before you get back."

She shrugged and left.

Without warning, Charles attacked Adam and beat him until he bled.

"Always something with you, isn't it?" Charles asked as he walked to the sink to wash blood off his hands.

Adam had to fight not to cry. He pulled himself back into the armchair and slouched down in it, closing his eyes. He heard the introduction music for the afternoon news on channel 4. Two reporters appeared on the screen – a man with graying hair, and a pretty brunette in a green business suit.

"We have some breaking news to report this afternoon," the woman told the camera. "Police are seeking this man, Charles Ross."

Adam focused on the television. The picture was a jail photograph of Charles. Charles charged over to stand in front of the television.

"In connection to the kidnapping a NYPD criminalist Adam Ross." A photograph of Adam appeared on the screen. "Adam Ross was taken from a crime scene in Central Park around five-thirty this morning and was last seen wearing jeans, sneakers, and a black shirt. Police warn that Charles Ross is a criminal and is to be considered armed and dangerous. If you have any information on this kidnapping, please contact the NYPD."

The reporter changed to another story but Adam didn't hear it. Either the photographs or the hair had told them who took him. His attention was torn from the television when a hand snapped around his throat, squeezing like a vice. He looked into his father's eyes.

"How did they find out? What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"How do they know you're with me? Why are they calling this a kidnapping?"

"It's a crime to… I don't know, dad. I don't know how they know I'm with you."

Charles grabbed Adam by the ear and pulled. Adam screamed, trying to pull his hand off. Charles's other hand squeezed Adam's throat tighter, slowly cutting of his air.

"How did they know, Adam!"

"I don't know, dad. I swear to God, I don't know!"

Charles let go suddenly and stepped back. He returned to the couch and sat down. For several minutes the drone of the newscast was all that filled the house.

Charles suddenly asked, "What the hell is a criminalist?"

"Someone who studies evidence to solve crimes."

"And they think you're one?"

Adam looked up at him. "I guess."

"So what do you do as a criminalist?"

"Analyze evidence to solve crimes."

"How? How could someone so stupid solve a crime? You can't even tell me how they figured out you're with me."

Adam looked at Charles. "There isn't any evidence to tell me how they know, dad."

Charles shook his head, sitting back on the couch. "Stupid kid."

Adam looked away. Secretly he was overjoyed that Mac and the CSI knew who had him. Now he had to figure out how to tell them where he was.

#

"The ring is from Adam's high school," Hawkes said.

Mac looked up from the microscope. Hawkes was standing next to him holding a bag with the ring from the crime scene.

"It's Adam's?"

"No. It's a 2010 ring, but the school name and mascot are his high school. I think his dad left it there as another lure."

Mac looked down at the microscope. "Sheldon… How well do you know Adam?"

"Not as good as I always thought I did. Lindsey said his dad's abused him for years."

Mac nodded, looking up. "Yeah. It explains some things about Adam's personality, but what's got me stumped is why his father kidnapped Adam. He's wants something and his son is the key, but I can't figure out what."

"I don't know, but there's more to this ring, Mac. I found a partial on it, and it came back as Lillian Flores. She has some prostitution and pandering charges on her record. I also traced it back to the jeweler, Jostens. The credit card used to purchase the ring was stolen, and the ring was shipped to a post office box in Queens."

"Let's me get this evidence put away and we'll go have a talk with the Postmaster," Mac said.

Hawkes nodded.

#

Adam focused on washing the dishes. He hated washing dishes, but it was better than listening to Lillian drone incessantly on her green cell phone. She had been on it since his father had left nine hours ago. He almost made an attempt to run until she pulled a 9 millimeter on him and ordered him to cook her lunch, and then clean the house.

He paused when a key hit the lock on the front door. His father came in.

"Gotta go!" Lillian said.

Adam glanced back. She leapt up and ran to him. Adam's eyes went down to the rolled papers in his father's hand. He looked back down at the dishes.

"Smells good in here. Did you cook?" his father asked.

Adam didn't answer, thinking he was talking to Lillian. His father hit the back of his head with the papers.

"Yes," Adam said. "There isn't any more though."

"He is a good cook," Lillian told Charles. "I didn't really believe you."

"Why don't you make supper, Adam?"

Adam began working on what to make for supper.

"Are those the plans?" Lillian asked.

"Yeah."

Adam glanced at the two. Charles unrolled the papers and he could tell they were blueprints.

"Almost had to kill someone for these."

Lillian pressed against Charles, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You did?"

He smiled, kissing her. "Yes."

"Did you put a gun to his head?"

"_Her_ head."

Adam gritted his teeth. He wanted to slam things around the kitchen, but his past had taught him that was a fast way to get beat. He threw together a casserole and put it in the oven. Adam turned, watching the two making out for a few seconds. He walked over to the table, looking at the blueprints.

Charles noticed and pulled away from Lillian. "What are you staring at?"

"These look like blueprints to a bank."

"Boy's a genius!" Lillian taunted.

"Why do you have blueprints of a bank?"

"Because we're going to rob it?" she asked back.

Adam stared at them, not sure he'd just heard her right. "Wh-What?"

"Wh-what?" Lillian mimicked and then laughed. "We're going to steal your father's money and go Fuji."

"Fiji," Charles corrected her.

"That place too."

"If it's your money, why not just go withdraw the money?" Adam asked. "That would be safer and easier."

"I don't think the person whose name is on the account would be so cooperative," Charles answered, shooting a glare at Adam.

"So it's not really your money?"

Charles didn't answer. Adam took two steps closer to the table. He caught the name of the bank in the corner before his father snatched the blueprints up.

"Dad, this is the oldest bank in New York City. It's protected like Fort Knox. You're never going to get away with it."

"I know how to rob a bank, Adam. How do you think I managed to support you and your mother's lazy ass before she stole you from me?" his father snarled.

"You robbed banks when I was a kid?"

"Two a month. Any other stupid questions?"

Adam stared at him for a moment. "The casserole will be done in forty minutes." He walked over to an arm chair, a place that was currently out of his father's reach. The couple went back to planning their bank robbery.

"Where am I going to be during this? In the trunk?" Adam asked.

The two looked at him. Charles grinned. It was one that made Adam's stomach knotted. He had something dubious planned for Adam when he grinned like that.

"No, kiddo, you're going to be in there with us. So if we get shot for something you do, so will you."

Adam looked away, leaving them to their plans. He looked at the door, only ten feet away. It would be easy to bolt right now, but how far would he really get? He had no idea where he was, or which direction was safe to run. At the moment, that wasn't the best plan.

Adam closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a migraine coming – he was prone to them when he hadn't had much sleep. He wanted to sleep, but he was so afraid of his father that his sleep was plagued with nightmares and bizarre dreams.

He sat his hand down on the arm of the chair, but it missed and slipped off onto the side table next to it. Adam looked down when his hand brushed something. He stared at Lillian's green cell phone sitting on the table. Adam looked up at the two, then back at the phone.

He reached his hand out, keeping his eye on them, and picked up the phone. He lifted his hips up, sliding the phone down his pants into his underwear. He could worry about 'gross' later. Adam stood and headed for his room.

"Where are you going?" Charles asked.

Adam stopped walking. "I'm going to take a shower before supper."

Charles didn't object, so Adam kept walking.

He stopped when he heard Lillian tell Charles, "Honey, I really think that boy has you blinded. You think he's stupid, but he's not, Charles. You look at him and you can see he's working things out. I really don't think he should be in on this robbery. If he finds some way to screw us over, he will."

"If he does, I'll kill him."

He closed the bathroom door and locked it. He started the shower, fished the cell phone from his pants, and stripped off his clothes. When Charles came looking for him, and he knew he would soon, he had to sell the shower lie.

He woke up the phone and found it asking for a code. Adam pressed a combination of buttons and the lock was removed. The phone came up to the main screen. He found the option for silent and turned it on. Adam sat down on the toilet. He opened a text message and typed as fast as his fingers could move.

#

Hawkes and Mac waited at the counter of the post office. The Postmaster came back out with a piece of paper.

"This is the registration for the post office box," he told the two, setting the paper down. "There was no forwarding address and there hasn't been any other mail come to it."

Mac picked up the paper. "Do you have any cameras that might have picked her up?"

"Yeah. That's going to take a little more time though."

"We'll wait," Mac told him.

The man left.

Hawkes pulled the paper away, looking at it. "Vespa Morgan. That's not even the name on the credit card."

"No. I doubt it's real." Mac's phone beeped to alert him to a text message.

He pulled it out and opened it. The sender was unknown. He opened the message and the first line made him go tense.

HELP this is adam my father kidnapped me hes going to rob bank of ny mellon says he has money there he doesn't i don't know when

His phone beeped again. He opened the second message:

trace this phone dont call trying to hide it if you dont stop him I will

"Mac? What is it?" Hawkes said.

"I just got a text from Adam. His father is going to rob the Bank of New York." Mac cleared the message and called a phone number. "Stella, do you know where Adam banks?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Is it Bank of New York Mellon?"

"Yes. Why?'

"Go get a warrant to release his financials. See if there have been any large transfers in the last sixty days."

"Why? You don't think Adam's doing something illegal, do you?"

"No. But I think his father might be. Adam just sent me a text message that says his father's going to rob that bank because he has money there, but says he doesn't."

"A text message? He sent you a text message?" He heard her gasp and let out a soft sob.

Mac walked away from Hawkes. "Stella, I'm sure he just sent it to the first number that came to mind. It means nothing."

"I'm happy, Mac. It means he's alive and okay for now."

Mac smiled. "Yes it does. Get that information."

"I'm on it." Stella hung up.

#

"ADAM JACOB ROSS!" Charles's voice boomed outside the bathroom door.

Adam looked up when something slammed against the door. The green door knob began rattling and something pounded on the door.

"ADAM!"

With shaking hands Adam cleared the sent text message to cover his tracks and searched for somewhere to hide it. The door rattled harder.

"ADAM UNLOCK THIS FUCKING DOOR NOW!"

Adam found a loose board on the sink and pried it open enough to drop the phone behind it. He hurried into the cold shower, realizing he'd forgotten to turn on the hot water. He quickly adjusted the water.

He heard the door burst open. He turned and grabbed the soap from the dish, then turned back as the shower curtain flew open. He stared up at his father's flushed face.

"Where is it?" Charles demanded.

"Where is what?"

"Where is Lillian's cell phone, Adam?"

Lillian leaned against the door. She wore a smug smile. Adam was starting to hate her as much as he did his father.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Charles grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the shower. Adam stumbled out. He slammed a hand against the wall to catch himself. Charles grabbed Adam, slammed him against the wall, and pinned him against it by his throat. He dug his fingers so deep into Adam's throat that his fingernails cut the skin and Adam couldn't get a breath.

Unable to get a breath, Adam panicked and tried to pull Charles's hand off. It made Charles dig his fingers in deeper. Adam began to feel like his heart was pumping in his head and his eyes felt like they were burning and being stabbed.

"WHERE IS IT!"

Adam couldn't answer if he wanted to. He gasped, getting small bursts of air. The edges of his vision were starting to distort and blacken. A tear started sliding down his face.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Charles screamed and threw Adam to the floor.

Adam wanted to crawl away, but every breath in burned in his throat. His father began pounding on him iron fists, screamed at Adam to tell him where the phone was. Adam closed his eyes and kept his mouth shut. He wasn't about to give up his lifeline.

Something hard hit Adam across the side of his face head and the world went black.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

A teller led Stella into the bank manager's office. The woman rose and held out a hand. Her other hand went to her stomach swollen by a baby. The women shook hands and then sat down.

"Detective Bonasera."

"Rachel Miller. I was just getting ready to leave; I hope we can speed this along. How can I help you?"

"I have a warrant to get information on one of your customer's accounts." Stella handed over the warrant.

Rachel took the warrant and read it.

"Adam Jacob Ross?" the woman asked.

"Yes."

"I heard on the news this morning he's been kidnapped." She shook her head sadly. "That's terrible news to hear. I've known him for eight years and I had no idea he worked, let alone for the police. I guess even men of his stature need a hobby."

Stella was offended by this woman's audacity. "A hobby? You think his job is a hobby?"

"Yes. He certainly doesn't need it. Will you also need to—"

"Adam's work is important, Ms. Miller, and he _does_ need it."

"I didn't mean to offend you, nor was I implying anything by it."

"Then what were you trying to say? You seem to think you know Adam better than I do."

Rachel smiled with a slight gasp – it made Stella angrier. "You really have no idea who you work with, do you?"

Stella was done with being patient. "You know what, let's just cut to the chase. I'm need to see if large deposits have been made into Adam's account."

Rachel slowly shook her head. "Oh, Detective… _That's_ what you're looking for in Mister Ross' _accounts_?"

"Yes! Have any of his accounts had that kind of activity?"

Rachel sighed. "I'm obligated to get you the records." Rachel stood, tapping the warrant she was leaving on her desk. "But I'm afraid, Detective, you really have no idea who you're investigating or work with. Do you also wish to view his lock boxes?"

Stella sprung to her feet. "I have dated the man for a year, I think I know him better than you do. So you should tell me what you _think_ you know about him."

Rachel smiled. "I'd rather not, Detective. Wait here while I catch a teller before they all go home." Rachel walked out. "We need a teller's key and mine to open the lock box vault."

Stella was left to be frustrated until Rachel returned.

#

Adam woke up fast, fending off his father. He realized Charles wasn't there and relaxed. He grimaced and whimpered as he discovered pain in every joint and muscle.

The bathroom door was cracked, barely hanging on its hinges, and let dim light into the bathroom. Looking at it Adam realized his left eye was almost swollen shut. He slowly climbed onto his shaking legs and eased himself down on the toilet. He waited for a wave of dizziness to pass before he moved again. He reached out, his hand feeling along the wall for the light switch. He found it and flicked it on. He ducked his head when the light lured out a sharp headache. He looked down at the board he'd hidden the phone. It was ripped off and the phone was gone. A cell phone had gotten Charles caught the last time he'd kidnapped Adam, so it was unlikely he left the battery in it this time. All hope anyone would rescue him was gone.

Adam limped to the shower and pulled the curtain back. He started a hot stream of water and climbed in. The water hitting cuts and bruises flared the pain, but he moved into the water. The pain eased away as the water cleaned away the blood. Adam ducked his head under the water, wishing it could wash away the headache. He nearly jumped out of the shower when a hand touched his arm and spun around.

The curtain was pulled back enough that Charles could watch him without getting wet.

"Why wouldn't you just tell me where the phone was?" Charles asked.

Adam didn't answer.

"Adam, answer me."

Charles moved toward him and Adam bolted to the far end of the shower. His heart pounded hard against his chest. He felt like he was being suffocated again. But Charles surprised him. He didn't come after Adam. He even stepped back.

"I'm sorry about the eye."

Adam didn't move.

"The casserole is good. I brought in a plate for you. It's on the nightstand."

Running water filled the silence.

"Well… I thought I could trust you in the house, but you've proven me wrong there. You'll be staying in your room until we do this job, Adam. You are such a disappointment."

Charles left. Adam slowly sank down. He hugged his legs, letting the hot water cover him. The sobs started without warning.

#

Take out Chinese boxes mingled among the case files, photographs, reports, and test results on the conference table between Mac and his CSI. They glanced up when Stella walked in. She was carrying a manila folder and sat down without a word in the chair between Lindsey and Mac. Mac glanced at her, noticing the tight grip she had on the folder and the dazed look on her face.

"…the lead on the post office box was just another dead end," Hawkes finished saying.

"Great. So we're back to square one," Danny said, leaning on the table. "Why would his father kidnap Adam? What does he want with him?"

"Lindsey, did Florida State Patrol get us the case file?" Mac asked.

"Yes. About two hours ago and I've been going over it." Lindsey leaned on the table, opening a case folder with a Florida state seal on it.

"Ten years ago Adam was engaged. Did anyone here know that?"

Only Stella nodded.

"Well, Charles broke into Adam's apartment in Florida, beat his fiancé into a coma, and when Adam came home, he kidnapped him. He was missing for a week. In the police report Adam said he tricked his father and escaped. He didn't give any details about how that happened. He made it to a gas station, the police were called. There's a medical report that Adam suffered massive contusions, cuts, and a broken leg that was crudely set. He said all the injuries were from his father 'disciplining' him when he didn't behave. They police caught his father the next day."

"So maybe pops is mad that his son turned him in?" Danny asked.

"Hawkes, you said we lost the phone signal?" Mac asked.

"I was close to triangulating it when then the signal disappeared. Someone must have taken the battery out. If it comes back on, I've got an alert set up."

"Stella, what about Adam's bank account? Were there any deposits out of the ordinary?"

Stella didn't answer. The group looked at her.

"Stella?" Mac asked.

Stella hesitated but then plunged into the truth. "I think part of Charles's plan is to take Adam's money."

"What's he got in there? A couple thousand?" Danny asked.

"No. Much more."

"How much more?" Mac asked.

"At close of business today, his cash worth from all four of his accounts and trust fund totaled forty-four million, six hundred and fifty thousand, one hundred and forty-nine dollars and three cents. In seven lock boxes, he has bearer bonds and common bonds worth a cash value of sixty-eight million. If Adam cashed out everything he had at Bank of New York Mellon, he would have over a hundred million. I know Adam's accountant so I asked him where all the money came from; except what he makes working here, it's all inheritance. He also told me that those aren't his only accounts, and with the cash and property he owns, Adam's net worth is over forty-two billion."

She expected the long silence that followed and waited for the shock to wear down. It had taken her an hour, sitting in her car, for it to wear off enough she could think about why she was sitting in an empty parking lot at the accountant's building.

"Did you say billion? With a 'B'?" Danny asked.

"Yes."

"Geeze… That explains why he wouldn't let us pay back the five hundred we borrowed for fixing the car," Danny said, looking at Lindsey.

"Or the money he loaned me for the deposit on my place," Hawkes said.

"Adam said in the text that Charles was taking _his_ money. It sounds like maybe Charles thinks Adam's inheritance should be his," Mac said.

"No. Wait," Lindsey said. "This doesn't make any sense. If Charles knows that Adam has all this money, wouldn't it have been a lot easier to blackmail him or somehow coerce Adam into just giving him everything? Why would he go through with a robbery?"

"That's a good question. Any good answers?" Mac asked them.

Stella nodded. "I recalled something Adam once told me about his father. He said that Charles believed when he was disciplining Adam and his mother that he was keeping the family together," Stella told them. "I have this feeling that somehow Charles thinks stealing this money is going to make Adam stay. I mean, if he wanted Adam dead, he's had ample opportunities to do it when Adam wasn't expecting it."

"I just read what he did to him during the first kidnapping, Stella," Lindsey pointed out. "How can you say he doesn't want him dead?"

"He beat the girl and left her for dead. He's more than capable of killing Adam," Hawkes said. "I'm with Stella. I think Charles is using this robbery against Adam somehow. I just don't know how he could, or would."

"Maybe he's one of those thrill seekers and he's dragging Adam along to rub what he's doing in his face," Danny offered.

"We need to get someone in that bank, Mac," Stella said. "And keep them there until this robbery happens."

"I'll do it," Danny and Hawkes said together.

"No. We can't do it. Who knows how long Charles's been following Adam. He might know who we are." Mac said. "I'll arrange a plain clothes officer to stay at the bank for the next couple days. That's the best we can do right now."

"What if his father does this again?" Lindsey tapped the Florida case.

Mac looked at it. "If he hurts him, we'll make sure we go to every parole hearing until Charles Ross is dead. He won't get out to do this to Adam ever again."

The others nodded.

#

Adam slouched in the back seat of the beat-up green 4-door coupe That Charles had stolen for the bank robbery. He played with the string on his green hoodie, something his father had made him wear.

Charles stopped the car in front of the Bank of New York Mellon. Adam looked out at the marble and granite building. It had remained unchanged for 200 years while New York City grew up around it.

"There's a back door in the alley," Lillian told Charles.

"We'll just go in the front door. We have surprise on our side."

"I have a card key I stole from a guard last night, so we can get in. But it's only good for today. They'll find his body by tomorrow, I'm sure. And it'll be more of a surprise if we come in through the back."

Adam looked at the back of her head. "I like dad's plan better."

"Of course you do, Adam, you _want_ us to get caught."

Adam didn't respond – because he did want them to get caught.

Charles put the car in drive and pulled around into the alley. He parked between two dumpsters behind the next building. Charles dug into a bag sitting between him and Lillian, and pulled out a pistol. He held it out to Adam. His son stared at it.

"Take it," Charles said.

Adam shook his head. "I don't touch guns."

"Take it, Adam."

Adam didn't.

"Adam, take it!"

Adam drew in a deep breath in preparation for something very risky. "I am not doing this and I don't touch guns."

Charles got out, threw open the back door, and grabbed Adam's ear. He pulled, forcing Adam to follow the pain out of the car. Outside he slammed his son against the car and wrapped a hand around Adam's throat. He pushed the pistol against Adam's chest.

"This is what we do, Adam. This has been my work for years and I have never been caught. You are going to take the gun, and you are going to learn how this works. We're going to do this together, and being a snot-nosed brat isn't getting you out of it. When did that ever work for you? TAKE THE GUN, ADAM!"

Adam took it.

"Good boy. Now, you stay behind Lillian and me on the way in. Once we get the people in the lobby and down, it will be your job to keep them down. It's a simple job. You don't have to do much, just wave the gun around. People are idiots. They can't tell when a gun is loaded or not. Okay?"

Adam slowly nodded.

Charles let his throat go and patted the side of Adam's neck. "I've waited years to teach you this business, son. Take pride in your work. And this time, don't worry about killing anyone. I'll do it for you."

Charles turned away before a tear began sliding down Adam's face. He wiped it off. His stomach trembled, almost as much as his hands were. How many bank robberies had he reported to where everything went wrong? And here he was, being forced to rob his own bank. Nothing good could come of this.

Having retrieved his bag of tools and guns, Charles turned to Adam and smiled.

"Let's go rob a bank!"

He and Lillian started walking toward the door. Adam looked down the alley. He could run. He might even make it to the street before his father caught up.

Adam jumped when a hand latched onto his arm. He turned his head, staring into his father's eyes.

"Come on, son. We only have a small window here." Charles pulled Adam along with him.

Adam glanced longingly down the alley and his quickly disappearing freedom.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

Lillian and Charles rushed out of the stairwell with guns raised.

"EVERYONE ON THE FLOOR!" Charles screamed. "Get those tellers out of there before they push the panic button."f

Lillian ran over to the teller counter. "Out. All of you, out here and on the floor."

Adam stopped inside the door, staring at the scene. He didn't hold up his gun, and despite wanting to help these people, he had no idea how. He watched Charles go into the back and chase out more people, including the bank manager Rachel Miller. In the lobby, she tried to sit down, but wasn't fast enough. Charles shoved her to the floor, onto her stomach. That was more than Adam could take.

He hurried over to her, coming between her and the gun butt blow that was meant for her head. The blow slammed against Adam's head, right behind his ear. He fell to one knee near her, grabbing the spot. White sparks erupted in his vision.

"Quit fucking around, Adam," Charles muttered to him. Louder he demanded, "Who's in charge? Who's the bank manager?"

No one answered.

Charles shot the ceiling. "Who the hell is the bank manager?"

No answer.

Adam shook his head a little as the stun from the blow faded. He looked up, right into Rachel's eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Adam whispered.

And then he was being pulled back to his feet by Charles.

"Who is the bank manager? Who is Rachel Miller?"

Adam shrugged.

"You bank here. You've got to know."

"I've never met the bank manager, dad. I don't know who she is."

"You know she's a she."

"You think a guy would be named Rachel?"

His father backhanded him, splitting his lip. Adam stumbled back a couple steps, pressing his hand against his lip.

Charles grabbed Rachel by the hair, hauling her to her feet, and pushing the end of his pistol to her head.

"WHO IS RACHEL MILLER!"

"I am," Rachel said, starting to cry. "I'm Rachel Miller."

"There? Was that so hard?" Charles shoved her down on a bench nearby. He leaned over the terrified bank manager, looking into her eyes. "You, me, and my wife are going to get forty-four million, six hundred and fifty thousand, one hundred and fifty dollars in cash, and sixty-eight million in bonds. Are we clear?"

Adam turned, staring at Charles. The bank manager noticed and held Adam's eyes instead of Charles's. Charles looked back at Adam. Eventually Lillian noticed the silence and turned.

"Why are you here, dad? Why are you _really_ robbing this bank?" Adam demanded.

"I told you. I'm taking money that belongs to me."

"That amount… That exact amount…"

"It's my money, Adam. It's money my dad and brother should have left me. I'm taking it."

Adam walked up to his dad. "You're after the money? Why didn't you just ask? If you want money, I'll give you everything I have, dad. If that's all it would take to make you disappear, I'll give it to you. You don't have to do _this_." Adam swung his arm out over the people lying on the floor.

"Wait. The money we're stealing is Adam's?" Lillian questioned. "We could have just withdrawn it?"

"Yes," Adam answered at the same time Charles answered, "No."

"It's in my name. Doesn't it make it mine?" Adam asked.

"It's _my_ money," Charles told him.

"But we could have just withdrawn it instead of robbing a bank for it, Charles," Lillian told him.

Charles backhanded Lillian. "Shut up. This is between me and my son, woman."

Lillian glared at Adam, as if he'd been the one that had hit her.

Charles grabbed the back of Adam's neck, pulling him close. "The money is the ends to the mean. You think you're so smart but you haven't figured this out yet, have you?"

"Tell me what I haven't figured out, father."

Charles leaned in. "I finally figured out why I've never been able to keep you with me, Adam. You always had somewhere to run. But after you rob a few banks with us, kill a couple people; you'll have nowhere to run. The police will be looking for you too; even if you never touch the money or pull a trigger. This is how I plan to keep my family together. And when we have all the money that belongs to me, then we're going to another country. And then, Adam, you'll stay, because you won't have anyone or anywhere to run to. Got it?"

Before his father stopped talking anxiety and fear set in.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Adam whimpered. "Why can't you just go with Lillian and have another child? Why… Why me? Why do you have to keep me?"

"Because you're my son, Adam. You belong to me and I am doing everything I can to show you that. Family stays together. You haven't done much for this family since you were a kid, but that's changing today. Now keep these people in line while your mother and I get my money."

Adam didn't move. "Please… Dad, please… I—"

Charles let Adam's neck go and slammed his fist across his face. It knocked Adam off his feet and he landed on a man. The man moved away. A gun went off and Adam felt moisture hit the side of his face. He turned his head and found the man had a hole in the back of his head. Blood was oozing across the marble floor.

"Oh. Look, Lillian. Adam just shot someone," Charles said.

She laughed.

Adam looked up. Charles had the gun that had been in Adam's hand in his gloved hand. He dropped it next to Adam.

"You're in it for the pound, now, Adam. Not get off your ass and watch these people!"

Adam slowly got to his feet and picked up the gun. He watched his father and Lillian disappear into the back with the bank manager.

Adam turned, looking down at the man. He pulled off his hoodie and draped it over the man's head. He walked over a few people toward the front door. Out on the street people walked past, unaware of the horrors happening inside. Adam had never felt so trapped.

"Aren't you the criminalist the police are looking for?" he heard someone whisper.

Adam looked down at the people. A woman wearing a green blouse and lying near an island counter stared up at him. He nodded.

He turned, looking for Charles, Lillian, and the bank manager.

"Is that really your dad?" she asked.

Adam nodded.

"He's an asshole, Adam Romeo Forty-six."

Adam stopped breathing for a second. That was his radio call sign. He turned, staring at her. She smiled a little.

"You could use a little help, couldn't you?" she asked.

"You're with the NYPD?" Adam whispered

"Yes. Mac has had a plain clothes posted here for the last two days. We didn't think you were coming."

"I wish we hadn't. Do you have a radio on you?"

"Cell phone. What should I tell Detective Taylor?"

Adam smiled. "Lillian parked the car in the alley. I think we'll be exiting west from it. It's a dark green four door coupe. Have the street shut down and be prepared to pursue. I'll try to stop him. Somehow.."

She nodded once.

Adam turned so he could watch the back and hide the woman from view. He didn't hear anything.

"Sent," the officer whispered. "Do you have a plan?"

Adam wagged his head. "Not freak out. Try not to die. You know. The usual."

"I have a can of pepper spray. Will that help you?"

"Might." Adam crouched in front of her. "Put it in my back pocket."

He felt something slide into his back pocket and stood just as Lillian came to the door carrying two heavy bags. She glared at him as she passed and then disappeared into the stairwell.

Charles and the bank manager came out with two tan and two a dark green money bags.

"Set them down right there," Charles ordered the woman, pointing to the spot with the gun. "Get over here, Adam."

Adam walked over.

"Pick up those two bags," his dad said. He dropped his bags and checked his gun clip.

Adam slid his gun into the back of his pants and picked up the two green bags. He turned and found his dad aiming his gun at the bank teller's head.

"NO!" Adam screamed, making everyone jump.

Charles glared at him. "What?"

"Dad, no. She's pregnant. Think about this first. She's gotta have a husband, and he might be the kind that will hunt us down if we kill his unborn child. Law won't matter to a guy that's got nothing left to lose."

Charles hesitated. He shoved the woman and she stumbled a couple steps.

"On the floor," he ordered her.

She laid down as best she could.

"We have more money to grab out of that vault and I will be back for it! If I come back and find anyone has moved, I will shoot you."

Charles put the gun in his bag and grabbed the money bags. He led the way to the stairwell door. Adam followed.

#

Charles and Adam burst out a side door into the alley. Lillian was waiting in the passenger seat of the car for them. The driver and back seat doors were open. Adam got in and dropped the bags. He grabbed his seat belt and put it on. He moved the green canister of pepper spray into his hip pocket and then slammed the door shut.

His father jumped in, tossing the bags to Lillian. He shut his door, put it in drive, and floored the gas.

Charles let out a whoop. Lillian leaned across and kissed him, causing him to swerve a little.

"All right baby!" Lillian laughed, sitting back in her seat. "And we didn't even have to kill your son! Lucky for him."

Adam just stared at his father when he glanced at him.

"What are you so sour puss about?" his father asked.

Adam didn't respond. They turned out of the alley onto a one-way street. Adam saw a line of police cars at the intersection half a block up. But more importantly, Mac's Avalanche was with them. He looked at his father. It was time to end this.

"SHIT!" Charles screamed and gunned it.

With a squeal of tires police cars and Mac's Avalanche pursued.

Lillian turned in her seat, shoving the end of her pistol against Adam's forehead.

"How did they know we'd be coming out this way?" she demanded.

"I don't know."

"You know something, Adam. We didn't even know we were coming out that alley until we got there!"

"I don't know. Maybe the police suspected dad was after my money."

"_My_ money!" Charles bellowed.

"I should shoot you right now." She cocked her gun.

Charles whipped his gun across the space between them, pressing it to her temple. "If anyone kills him, it'll be me. Sit down."

She turned and sat down. "He set us up, Charles!"

"He didn't have time to set us up."

"He was talking to all the people in the bank, whispering to them. I heard him, Charles."

Charles didn't respond.

"You know he set us up."

Quietly Charles said, "I don't believe that."

"Why the hell do you even give a shit about him? You can deny it all you want, Charles, but he's not as stupid as you want to believe. Ever since I got to the house I saw he was playing us! And especially you. Your kid fucking hates you, Charles."

"Really? Do you hate me Adam?"

Adam hadn't planned on an argument, but considering he was planning this on the fly, he had to make it work for him. So he fueled the hostility between the couple

"No, dad," Adam quietly said. "Maybe it was Lillian that tipped them off. Did you even know she left to go sleep with that guard?"

Lillian glared at Adam. "I didn't sleep with him; I seduced him and killed him. And you hate your dad, Adam. I can see it every time you look at him. You wish he were dead!"

"No. I don't," Adam lied. "I love my dad. You, on the other hand… You're nothing but a two-bit tramp looking for a free fuck and easy money."

"You son of a bitch!" Lillian lunged over the seat at him, fingernails aimed for his throat.

Adam pulled the pepper spray from his pocket and drenched her eyes. Lillian let out a scream, clawing at Adam and kicking her feet. She kicked Charles in the head.

"SIT DOWN! JESUS WOMAN! I'M TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THE POLICE! SIT DOWN!"

"He sprayed me with something! Your fucking snitch son sprayed me with something!" she slid back in her seat.

Adam could count out the seconds it took for his father to look at Lillian's face – now red and swollen from the pepper spray – to the exact second he reached a boiling point.

Charles aimed his gun at Adam, trying to drive at the same time.

"What did you do at the bank?"

"I didn't do anything."

"Where did you get the damned pepper spray, Adam?"

"I found it."

"Where? Where did you find it?"

Adam didn't answer. He suddenly smiled and kept it there when Charles looked in the rear-view mirror at him.

"What are you smiling about?"

"You should have listened to Lillian, dad," Adam quietly informed his father.

His father turned his head to look at him and Adam covered Charles's face with pepper spray.

Charles started swerving and quickly lost control of the car. It skidded to the right, almost turned 180, fishtailed left, hit the curb, and catapulted into the air. The car arced and came down on the asphalt on the passenger side. It started rolling.

Adam put his arms over his neck, trying to protect himself from flying debris.

In the front seat Lillian and Charles were thrown around. The bags of money flew around inside the car. One ripped and sent stacks hurtling around the car like Chinese stars.

#

[*] From the front seat of Mac's Avalanche he and Stella watched the accident start. When the car started rolling Stella grabbed the handle above the door and wrapped her fingers tightly into the seat.

"Please let him live through this," Stella prayed. "Please protect him."

Mac glanced at her. She was too scared to cry right now, but he was more concerned about what she was going to be like when they got to Adam.

The car rolled up onto a sidewalk. People scattered. It launched through the air and smashed the front window and wall of a bookstore, disappearing inside.

"Oh God!" Stella whispered.

Mac hit the brakes, screeching to a stop with the police cars. He and Stella jumped out, joining Flack and five officers going inside. They drew their weapons, prepared to fire.

"Don't shoot until you've identified the person," Mac told the officers. "Remember, Adam's in that car and he was last reported with an unloaded pistol."

The group ignored patrons able of to run out. Mac glanced at a dead man as he passed him. There were several wounded that two officers dropped back to check on. Somewhere in the building beams were complaining about their injuries.

"I found Lillian Towers," an officer said.

The group looked toward him, and then down. She had landed on a broken bookshelf and was pierced through the chest with a piece of wood.

"Adam," Stella said softly, looking at the mangled car.

"Adam?" Mac called out. "Can you hear me?"

They heard a noise and stopped.

"Come out with your hands up," Flack ordered.

There was more movement.

"Did Adam call you?" Charles demanded from behind the car. "Did he set me up?"

"Charles, put your hands in the air and come out where we can see you," Mac ordered.

"Did Adam call you? Did my fucking son call you?"

"Where is Adam?" Flack asked.

"He's dead. He looks dead. You bastards told him to cause that accident and got him killed. You mother fuckers!"

"No, Charles, we didn't do this," Stella answered. "You did. If he caused this accident, it was to get away from you."

"Shut up you lying bitch!"

"Come out, Charles. Come out with your hands up," Flack ordered.

"I am not coming out! I'm staying with my son."

"Stand off?" Flack muttered to Mac.

"If Adam's hurt, we have to finish this." Mac turned and tapped an officer on the shoulder. "Come with me."

Mac and the officer hurried back out and found the back door. They went in and started through the back. They spotted the front counter, or what was left of it. Charles was sitting in the ruble with Adam in his arms and holding a gun. He was cut and bleeding, and looked wild eyed. Mac realized the man was probably going into shock, making him even more unpredictable.

Adam wasn't moving and blood dripped off his body. He could see bone sticking out of his left pant leg.

Mac motioned the officer to wait and slowly moved toward Charles.

"Charles," Mac quietly said.

He looked up and aimed at Mac.

"Get back!"

"Adam's hurt, Charles. He needs to go to the hospital. You have to let us take him."

"No. He's not going with you. He's going with me. He's my son. MINE!"

"He's hurt. If you don't let us help him, you'll lose him. I know you don't want that. Otherwise you never would have come back for him."

Charles wasn't persuaded.

Stella, Flack, and another officer came around the car. They aimed at Charles. He stumbled to his feet, keeping hold of Adam.

"Charles, I am taking Adam," Mac told him.

"Over my dead body," Charles snarled.

Mac felt a twinge of sympathy for the man. Despite how brutal he was and how much he'd hurt Adam, Charles's actions now proved he felt something for his son. Maybe he didn't recognize it as love, maybe it was just affection, but he clearly had every intention of keeping Adam. The twinge disappeared. There was no way Mac was letting this man keep Adam and soon a choice would have to be made.

Adam flinched.

"Adam?" Charles said.

He muttered something.

"Adam, wake up. We have to walk out of here."

Adam slowly lifted his head, looking at his father with his one good eye. He turned his head, looking Mac, the policemen, Stella, and Flack.

"Is this hell?" Adam asked Mac.

"No, Adam, you're—"

"Tell them to back off, Adam. I'll shoot them if they don't back off," Charles demanded.

Adam tried to stand up. He couldn't put any weight on his left leg. Charles grabbed his left arm, pulling it over his neck. There was a snap and Adam cried out.

"Stop it! You're not hurt," Charles screamed at him.

"We all just heard his arm break!" Flack said. "You don't call that hurt?

"Shut up! He's my son. You shut up." Charles shook his gun at Flack.

Adam grabbed his father's shirt with his other hand and steadied himself on his right leg. His father put his arm around Adam's waist to support him.

"See? He's fine. Get out of our way."

Adam dug into his hip pocket and pulled something out, hiding it in his hand.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Adam snarled.

His dad looked at him. "Don't talk to me like that. You're in just as much trouble as I am."

Adam laughed a little. "Know what, dad?" Adam looked up, staring at his father's face. "When you kidnapped me this time, I told myself one of us was going down for good." Adam leaned in, nose to nose with his father. "And in the bank, I told them where we'd be coming out and what the car looked like. You. Are going. Down."

He lifted his hand and sprayed what was left of the pepper spray in Charles's face. Charles cried out and let Adam go. Adam slipped on the rubble, hit his head on a jutting edge of the wall, and fell on top of broken bricks and wood.

Stella moved to rush forward but Flack pulled her arm, stopping her.

As Charles rubbed his eyes he waved his gun at them. And then the gun went down, aiming at Adam.

"Put the gun down," Mac ordered. "This is your last warning, Charles."

Charles's aim steadied on Adam's head. "Ungrateful child," Charles hissed at Adam.

Twelve shots could be heard two blocks away.

* * *

[*] "Snuff" - Slipknot


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

Mac looked up when the mail girl dropped interoffice envelopes and a stack of papers on his desk at his elbow.

"Thank you," told her as she left.

She gave a quick smile, but was in too much of a hurry to stop. Mac started opening envelopes until he spotted a thin one from HR. He opened it and smiled. Maybe this news would get Adam to finally talk to him.

Mac got up, heading for the A/V lab.

#

Adam stared at the computer monitor. Had someone come in and asked him what he was doing, he couldn't have told them. His mind had drifted away and he'd lost track of time. Luckily, the printer started spitting out the results of a search he'd begun two hours ago. The sound of it warming up and pushing paper out drew his eyes to it, breaking his trance. He reached up and scratched his bearded cheek. It took a month to grow his beard back the way he liked, and two months for his hair to get to a length he could get his style back. But in three months, nothing had been able to scare away the ghost of his past, and that ghost left him tired and feeling isolated.

He got up, grabbing the walking cane leaning against the desk. The pain to walk on his healing leg was a dull ache, but his doctor insisted he use a walking cane for another month. Adam picked up the papers and returned to his chair.

He didn't see Mac come to the door, or hear him step into the A/V lab. Adam glanced over the results and then slid them into the case file at his elbow.

"I just got the paper work back for your leave of absence," Mac announced.

Adam turned his chair, looking up at him. Mac waited for a response, but after a minute, he knew one wasn't coming. Mac sighed a little. Ever since Adam had returned to work, he didn't speak unless he had to. But around Mac, his willingness to speak was even less. He practically had to order Adam to speak if he wanted any response. Since Adam had come too at the accident scene and found out Mac had been involved in his father's death, he'd kept his distance from Mac. Someday Mac hoped he could understand how people could care so much for people who abused them so brutally; but for now, he just kept the anger of Adam's reaction to himself.

"HR approved your three month leave of absence. Are you going to do something special?"

Adam shrugged a little.

Mac gave up trying to get him to talk. He walked over, looking at the file. "How's it coming getting into Kevin Baker's email account?"

"I'll have it in another hour," Adam answered.

Mac nodded a little. "Good. Let me know."

Adam didn't answer.

Mac turned and walked to the door. He stopped. Yes, he had told himself to just let Adam get through his anger, but in reality, he couldn't do that. He had to say his peace. So he turned back around.

"How long are you going to be mad at me?"

Adam turned his chair, staring at him.

"I know you want me to be sorry for killing your father, but I am not sorry, Adam. I know you're mad at me for it, but that day your father forced me to make a choice. He was a stranger, you are my friend. I chose to save my friend's life. And if you want to be mad for that, fine. But I won't apologize for it."

"I'm not mad at you." Adam turned back to his work.

Mac stood for a minute. He had expected the conversation to take a completely different course.

"Then why are you giving me the silent treatment?" Mac took a couple steps back into the room.

"I just don't feel like talking."

Mac looked out of the room. He wasn't comfortable with feeling conversations with most people, so this wasn't really territory he wanted to venture into. But he had to know what had changed Adam.

"Adam, I don't understand. Help me with that."

Adam dropped his hands to his lap, hunching over. Mac walked up, finding he'd closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I—"

"When my dad was alive, I would see him sometimes, even when he was in jail. But now he's dead, and I know because I watched them bury him. But now… Yesterday, at the crime scene, I opened a closet and a coat and broom fell out, and I saw him reaching out to strangle me. He's everywhere now."

Mac stared at him. All this time he'd thought Adam was angry, and he was angry in response. Finding out that Adam was running scared from a ghost, and didn't know what to do about it, made Mac feel guilty. He should have asked this question sooner. He should have reached out. He should have been the friend he just claimed he was. Yet, his pride wouldn't let him tell Adam how guilty and sorry he felt.

Adam looked at his hands, quietly saying, "I guess I'm going crazy."

That shook Mac out of his guilt-wallowing. "Sometimes people impact us so much that they leave an imprint on us. Time will rub that imprint off. In the meantime, I'm here when you think you see him. Just call, any time. You don't have to get through this alone, Adam."

The young man looked back up at him. He had hope in his eyes. It was the first emotion Mac had seen in months.

"Are you sure? Someday it will stop?"

Mac should have expected a question like that and been better prepared for it, but he hadn't. He weighed his options. One was to say he just knew and leaving it at that. One was telling Adam how he knew, and exposing his own secret. So just how good of a friend did he feel Adam was?

"Good and bad people can leave an imprint like that on us. I saw Claire every day for years after she was killed. It's been nine years, and I don't see her very often any more. When I do, it's just the back of her, but I don't try to catch up to her anymore like I did those first couple of years. It doesn't surprise me as much anymore."

Adam looked away, staring at the desk. Mac decided he should have chosen the 'I just know' answer.

"If you need to talk, my door is always open." Mac turned, walking away.

"You should go with me," Adam said.

Mac turned around. Adam slowly rotated his chair until he could look squarely at Mac. The dark look he usually wore had lifted, but old Adam wasn't quite back.

"I'm sorry?"

"You should go on my leave of absence with me. I'm going sailing for two and a half months. Why don't you come? It's all expense paid."

Mac smiled. "No, Adam, but thank you. You enjoy your trip."

The dark look was back before Adam had turned away. Mac guessed it was the look of a scared, lost boy. A trip away from the city would do him good.

Mac walked out of the lab and headed back to his office. He passed a lab. Inside Lindsey and Danny were working together. From the way they were smiling, they were teasing each other. Mac slowed to a stop, watching them. Danny noticed him first and stopped what he was doing. Then Lindsay noticed. Mac looked away.

Realization hit him hard – he had just made the wrong choice. That dark look wasn't scared or lost, it was disappointment. Adam had taken his story about Claire to heart, had recognized Mac's need for someone to reach out like Mac should have done for him, and did what Mac hadn't. Despite his own pain, he was offering to help Mac. Adam was disappointed that his attempt to help had been rejected.

"Mac?"

He looked up at Lindsay. She looked worried.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes. I just thought of something."

He headed back to the A/V lab. He found Adam typing at a speed Mac knew he'd never match. Lines of code quickly filled one screen and on the other, windows opened and closed in response.

"Of everyone you could have asked, why are you asking me to go?" Mac asked.

Adam stopped, turning his chair. He answered so quickly it was liked he'd been waiting for the question. "Because you're my friend, and it sounded like you needed a break too."

Mac considered the answer. Then he considered the opportunity he was being offered. He could rectify three months of thinking Adam was angry and doing nothing to fix it. He could even find the old Adam and bring him back. And maybe, for once, he'd be able to tell Adam that his behavior during his kidnapping and in the bank made Mac very proud of him.

"I pay for my groceries and help with other expenses. I know you can afford it, but I insist."

A faint smile crept onto Adam's lips. Maybe it wasn't as big as Mac would like to have seen, but it was a start.

"Food and fuel. I cover the rest. Deal?"

"Yes. For now. I'll go turn in the request and see if I can get it approved."

Adam nodded.

"Do you have any destination in mind?"

"I'll point the bow south. We'll see where the wind takes us."

"I like that plan." Mac left the A/V lab again.

When he passed the lab with Danny and Lindsay in it, he exchanged smiles this time. Some mistakes were easier to repair than others.


End file.
